Coronavirus: Singapore turns to domestic tourism in US$32 million campaign
- The island nation has joined the likes of Thailand and Japan in looking inward to boost tourism as the coronavirus pandemic keeps borders closed
- The hope is that Singaporeans will inject some of the US$25 billion they spent on international travel in 2018 into the local market
The hope is that Singaporeans will inject a fraction of the S$34 billion they spent on international travel in 2018 into the domestic market.
At the campaign’s launch, Minister of Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said the industry had to be realistic and realise mass market tourism was unlikely to recover in the near term without the discovery of a vaccine, or the availability of rapid and affordable test kits.
But there was opportunity in the local market, Chan said, contrasting Singaporeans’ expenditure on overseas travel in 2018 with the S$27 billion the country made in tourism receipts in the same year.
“Now, of course, we will not be able to translate all the overseas spending into domestic [spending],” he said. “But even then, if you are able to capture a slice of what we used to spend overseas for the domestic market, then I think it will be a significant boost to our local tourism industry.”
It’s not uncommon to hear Singaporeans say that there’s nothing to do here ... We hope to channel the spirit of adventure and discovery towards Singapore inward
Japan is offering more than US$12 billion in travel subsidies to boost tourism, although Tokyo residents have been barred from the “Go To Travel” scheme thanks to a resurgence of infections in the capital, where local businesses are also set to miss out on tourists.